Reviews by mmva321:

Just bought a bunch of Goose Island, and I start with the cheapest purchase.

A: Pretty alright. The beer is a cloudy yellow color with an orange tint that has very little visible carbonation but two fingers of white head that leaves some delicate, random lacing along the sides.

S: Citrus and clover are at the forefront. Orange (and accompanying peel) and the clover dominate a little too much, but their are some bitter hops here as well that compliment it very well. What I really like is a piny or cut grass aroma and some funk that add some great textural underpinnings to the smell. It brings a redemptive quality to an unbalanced nose.

T: Follows the nose pretty well. Orange, clover are the main tastes. Following are hops and piny grass. Once again the clover is too much at first, and now the pine is too much at the end, but I like some added spices that I'm getting now. So, unbalanced and unrefined but it's pleasant, solid and interesting, and I like their added elements and new take to the Belgian ale.

M: It isn't offensive, but it isn't quite there. Like, it's not that thin, but it's a little too thin (just to the point I notice it) and there's very little carbonation and that's a little flat. I just need something to add a substantive quality.

D: In the end it's very drinkable. I'll chalk it up to the style being pretty pleasant and light, so this maybe isn't a huge accomplishment, but the beer is done well enough and has enough new elements for me to enjoy it and recommend it.

More User Reviews:

A: Tall, two finger head made up of carbonation. Gives way to a light lacing that crawls down the glass at you drink the beer down. Clear, crisp yellow w/ strong hints of orange. Carbonation throughout.

T: Yeast hits your tongue first followed by fruity/citrusy notes, malts, then some pepper. The tastes hit your tongue in almost the exact same way that the aromas hit your nose. Pepper and yeast lingers. The tastes are slightly muted, nothing overpowering. Almost leaves you wanting more.

M: Light to medium body with plenty of carbonation. I think the flavors would shine through a little more if the carbonation was tuned down. It almost tries to be creamy, but is too thin to really accomplish this.

D: Warms a little a minute or so after each sip. Doesn't taste like a 7% beer, but one bomber is enough for me. It was a great deal at $5, but most likely isn't a beer I'll visit again.

Appearance - This is a nice copper with a decent head that didn't show much retention.

Smell - There's a nice yeasty backbone here that makes this one smell authentic if nothing else. There's some smooth banana in here as well making it smell more like a weizen. The spices are lacking IMO.

Taste - The malt is very smooth here with no rough edges. It's sweet with maybe some light caramel. There's a big orange flavor here as well that is again very smooth. The yeast takes a back seat and I'm still not getting a lot of spices.

Mouthfeel - This is medium-bodied with some righteous, light but lively carbonation and as mentioned a couple of times this ale is amazingly smooth in the mouth which really made it for me.

Drinkability - This went down extremely well. The flavors are lacking in some areas but expertly blended and there's none of that offensive medicinal aftertaste that you find with so many pretenders.

Bottled on Date: 09/21/10According to website, best before 180 days of bottling.22 oz bottle on sale at my favorite beer store for 2.39. At that price, why not? Expectations muted.Not to worry! Pours beautiful light golden straw color into brandy snifter. Smell and taste light, sweet, smooth. If anything was lost drinking this four months past the best before date, I wouldn't know what that could be.This is a very good Belgian ale. I am looking forward to trying this fresh.I might run back and buy the rest at this price.

The beer pours a light yellow color with a white head. The beer is fairly hazy. The aroma is full of wheat and biscuit malt, with some nice orange citrus notes as well as some Belgian yeast notes.

The flavor is also very nice. Up front I get a lot of juicy orange citrus notes. The flavor is fairly sweet, with some nice biscuit malt and Belgian yeast also mixed in. The alcohol is well hidden and the beer is easy to drink.

pours out a lightly cloudy light golden color with a small white head that showed some average retention, never really disappeared, but never really looked all that great. no lace. a decent bit of sediment.

phenolics and some fruity bubblegum from the belgian yeast at the forefront with light aromas of apple, spice, wheat and a bit of grassy hops. as it warms, a slight muddy yeast aroma is noticable.

Yellow beer, a little bit of chill haze to it, thin white head. Aroma was belgian, but not that distinct over the top belgian yeast, this was a good hint of it, but some more american smells as well (toasted barley).

Taste, relatively easy drinking, no one flavor dominating, more able to pull out of it the warmer it got, a very light amount of banana later in the bottle that you wouldn't find anywhere at the beginning. Good hopping, really if it was a little less heavy with the alcohol and body, would make a refreshing saison. Went well with brats while tailgating. Lesser amounts of citrus rind and pepper.

A good bottle for sharing, I liked my first 6 oz's, but the next 10 or started to approach tedious. 22oz at a time not really my thing, but glad I tried it.

Another big Belgian inspired strong golden ale from Chicago, gotta love all of these from the Goose. This one is no different excellent complexity yet doesn't fatigue the palate, perfect for the summertime. It's strong but it keeps it in the 7th percentile. Spicy Belgian yest, herbal/citric hops going on really a nice summer outdoors beer with friends. In this case I had this one yesterday at a local BA tasting courtesy of Sam and Angela. Appears a semi clouded bright golden straw color with white effervescent carbonation, fine streaks of Belgian style lacing. Aroma is light bready, citric/herbal spicy with lively Belgian yeast coming to the party. A very nice beer, flavor wise more of the same subtle sweetness almost like biscuits drizzled with a touch of local honey, mild spiciness from the yeast and light hop coating bringing in balance with herbal/grassy/citrus tones. Mouthfeel was light to medium bodied with a gracious effervescent body never cloying extremely easy to sip on. A really great beer overall, glad I drank this with a crew of fellow passionate beer enthusiasts.

Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a bright white head that leaves solid lacing.

Smells of crisp pilsner malts with good amounts of syrupy pear aromas. Also present are slight amounts of clove and white pepper.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. Light pilsner malts up front are joined quickly by mildly boozy pear flavors. Midway through the fruits fade a bit with the addition of crisp white pepper and lighter amounts of clove. Slight banana flavors come in near the end, fading out into a crisp ending. Mouthfeel is good, with active carbonation.

Overall I was really impressed by how balanced this beer was. A great example of the style and well worth a shot.

(Served in a chalice) bottled 7/23/10 A- This beer pours a clear yellow body with a racing carbonation of microbubbles and a creamy white head that turns to broken lace with each sip. S- The light pear fruit has a yeasty and citrus rind aroma with a soft dry green snap in the finish. There is a perfume quality and a light pepper note in the finish and a soft fusel hint that comes through when it is really warm. T- The crisp dry slightly yeasty fruity notes has a white cheese rind flavor to follow and a green bitter note in the finish. There is a green grapefruit hint and a light pale malt quality blended with some light pepper note in the dry finish. M- This beer has a light mouthfeel with a crisp texture and no real alcohol heat. D- The dry crisp subtle but complex flavor makes this very easy to drink and with a bit of mystery I have to keep taking sips.

This was a random pickup; there are still some on shelves here and I hadn't tried it yet. Now I feel lucky.

This pale ale is that, a bright pale yellow with even brighter medium yellow highlights. It's extremely bubbly, and the head it forms is very frothy and dense, situating on top of the beer at higher than one finger. Lacing is chunky with some webbing, and generally quite plentiful.There's lots of fresh white pepper, some greenery and raw young wood, and softer fruity esters on the nose with plenty of zest, citrus and spicing. There's a strong but gentle yeasty (mustier) undertone with lots of bread to the malts, too.The flavor brings lots of nicely spices orange and lemon, some gentle rind-like bitterness, with a sort of dryer quality to the malts on the tongue, more crackery than bready. Pepper is still strong, along with sweeter spiciness, and the raw greenery is added to by an earthiness in the hops.The carbonation in this beer is very nice, plentiful but soft and not too filling, velvety smooth without giving up the crisp bite. Dryness is forward but isn't allowed to dominate too strongly, as some candi-sugar sweetness works on the palate to keep this beer even.

Hand-delivered by the most generous kels herself...thanks girl, next one's on me!

Doesn't say "2010" on it, but the bottle label is different than the one pictured elsewhere on BA (the one with a 6.7% ABV listed). This was bottled on Jan. 29, 2010, and is indeed 7.2%, so I guess I'm at the right place. "Will remain fresh 180 days from the Bottled On date." Also on the bottle: "Brewed to honor the brave souls who kept our brewpub open while wrecking balls tore down the mall around us."

Pours the color of lemon-yellow sun (thanks, Vedder!) and sports a huge, fluffy, rocky, ultra-firm head of snow-white goodness. Tons of clingy lace too. Looks Belgian as all get out.

Nose is light and springy, bringing subtle citrus fruits (lemon and lime, mostly), mild herbs, wildflower, a dash of white pepper, and a welcoming earthy vibe from the yeast. Pleasant, but hard to really tell what's in store, and just a tad muted.

Oh mama, what a flavor. Not a wrecking ball to the tongue or anything, but its delicate, fruity, herbal, flowery, earthy, white-bread tones mingle wonderfully. Tropical fruits (banana); green apple; white wine. After a while, a kind of tartness, like Sweet Tarts candy, hangs out in the background. Fresh cream sweetness is subtle but very much a crucial element of the beer's character. Not too far from Goose Island's own Sofie, and especially perfect for what feels like the hottest day of the summer so far.

The flavor only takes on a finer point thanks to the creamy, zesty, slightly puckery mouthfeel. Carbonation is gentle, balanced nicely against the tartness and the milky sweetness/roundness. Pretty complex texture, and stealthy too (didn't notice until I really honed in on it).

I understand why this beer is called Demolition, but if it didn't have the back story, the name would never fly. This is delicate, refreshing, zesty, remarkably complex, and a joy to drink. It demolishes nothing, although my expectations of ever having another of these are crushed with the knowledge of how hard this is to come by--especially in these parts. I'm savoring this. Thanks again Kelley!